Tokelau is a group of three small atolls making them the perfect place to fish. Fishing communities in Tokelau have their own traditional methods and equipment for catching different kinds of fish, and this stamp issue looks at four of those methods used to catch atu (skipjack), laulaufau (moorish idols), manini (convict tang) and pāla (wahoo).
As a small Pacific nation surrounded by water, Tokelau still uses various traditional fishing techniques to catch the diverse species of fish that live in their waters. The elders in the Tokelau community pass these traditional fishing techniques from generation to generation.
The techniques shown in the issue are paddling (for catching atu/skipjack), netting (for catching laulaufau/moorish idols), scoop netting (for catching manini/convict tang) and noosing for catching pāla/wahoo). These techniques use handmade equipment, and often require community involvement.
